Yard tillers for tilling or grinding up sections of turf and dirt in a yard are commonly known. Typical tillers include an engine or other power supply mounted on a frame having a pair of laterally-aligned tires having a substantially horizontal axle extending therebetween. The horizontal axle is operatively connected to a chassis, and an engine for powering the tines of the tiller is attached to the chassis. Handles for controlling the tiller extend rearwardly from the chassis, typically rearward of the engine. Conventional tillers have a transmission transfer case extending downwardly from the engine toward the ground, and the transfer case includes either two laterally-extending drive shafts that are oriented substantially parallel to the ground with a tine assembly attached to each drive shaft or a single drive shaft extending from the transfer case in which two or more tine assemblies are attached to the single drive shaft. The transfer case receives rotational power from the engine and provides output rotational power to the horizontal drive shaft(s), thereby changing the longitudinal axis of rotational power from the engine by 90°. Each tine assembly typically includes two to five tines or augers attached and extending from a body, wherein the body is attached directly to a drive shaft such that rotation of the drive shaft causes the body and tines to rotate.
Typical tine assemblies are configured such that the tines rotate about the horizontally-aligned drive shaft(s) in such a manner that the tines are continually rotating away from the operator of the tiller. Such rotational movement of the tines results in the tines rotating forwardly, contacting the ground or dirt, digging into the hardened ground or loose dirt and pulling it rearwardly as the tine rotates rearwardly, then releases the loosened dirt as the tine begins the rotation forwardly over the top of the drive shaft again. This forward rotation of the tines about a horizontal axis tends to pull the tiller forward such that as the tines contact hardened soil that has not yet been loosened by the tines, the tines strike the hardened ground and cause the entire tiller to jolt or jerk. Because the operator is typically using the tiller to ground up and loosen an entire patch of ground, this continuous jerking and jolting action of the tiller requires the operator to maintain an extremely firm grasp on the handles to ensure that the tiller does not lurch forward excessively or tip sideways if the operator loses grip of the handles. Accordingly, the use of conventional tillers requires substantial and continuous physical exertion by an operator to maintain the tiller in an upright position to effectively loosen the soil, which results in the operator's arms becoming tired rather quickly as well as the residual effects of the continuous jolting of the tiller as the tines contact hardened soil.
Therefore, there exists a need for a tiller that reduces or eliminates the continuous jerking and jolting action resulting from the tines or augers contacting compacted or hardened soil during use. There also exists a need for a tiller that lessens the required physical strength and exertion for a user to maintain the tiller in an operative position over an extended period of use of the tiller.